“Whatever will be, will be” is the title of a song written by Livingston and Evans and first made popular by Doris Day, in 1956. It is a catchy little song, and its message is clear: “We have no control over what happens in life; we just hang on for the ride.” The formal word for this type of thinking is fatalism. In other words, our destinies are controlled by an unseen force that leaves humans with no control over their lives.
The ancient Greeks pictured Fate as three old women. One of the old women spins the thread of each person’s life; the second old woman draws out the life span of each human; and the last old woman cuts off the thread of life, which means death.
In modern warfare, some soldiers going into battle express a belief in fate when they say: “If a bullet has my name on it, I can’t do anything about it.” The thought here again is that people have no control over their lives. The bullet either has my name on it or doesn’t.
Are Christians fatalists? Let’s look at a story from the Old Testament. In 1 Kings 22.29-36, the writer describes a battle that pitted the King of Aram against the King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah. As the battle progressed, the narrator says in verse 34: “But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate.” Notice several things about this text. The archer had no particular target; he just shot an arrow into the air towards the enemy. The arrow struck King Ahab in the most vulnerable place, between the seams of the armor. A cursory reading of this event might lead one to think that the arrow had King Ahab’s name on it. However, when we read the background of the story of King Ahab, we discover that something greater than fate is working in the universe.
Did one Roman cross have Jesus’ name on it? Was Jesus ruled by blind fate, “whatever will be, will be,” or was something else going on at the cross? In John 19.8-12, Jesus stands before Pilate in handcuffs. Their private exchange is insightful. Pilate said, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have the power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above;” That is, Jesus recognized the incontrovertible power of God working in the world. There is no hint of a blind fate working to put Jesus on the cross. Jesus didn’t say, “Whatever will be, will be,” but “Father, your will be done.” Jesus ascribed power to God, not fate.
Remember, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” not “Whatever will be, will be.” If one believes in fate, then one has no reason to pray. What would you be praying to? Fate?
Christians believe that our loving heavenly Father is actively working in the universe to bring salvation to the world. Fate has no part in a Christian’s beliefs.
